The One Who Trusts in God

[Proverbs 29:22-27]

Is God’s Word enough for you? When reading the phrase "Trusting is faith," there is a lesson that came to light while listening to a sermon by Canon Battersby, an evangelical minister in the Church of England. He was preaching on the story of the royal official who came from Capernaum to Cana to ask Jesus to heal his son (John 4:50). The lesson learned was that the royal official believed the words of Jesus when He told him, "Go, your son will live." (John 4:50). This man trusted Jesus' words, and through that, it became clear that faith is about believing that when God promises to protect us, even if we have nothing else to rely on in this world, we can still confidently say, "Your word, Lord, is enough." That is faith and trust.

What do you think? Do you believe that faith is about confessing, "Your word, Lord, is enough"? When I asked myself this question, I thought, "Am I truly enough with the promise of Matthew 16:18, where Jesus said, '…I will build my church…,' given to the Victory Presbyterian Church, or do I sometimes rely on myself or others outside of that promise?" If I were fully trusting in the Lord’s promise while ministering, then I would certainly not fear anyone or any situation, nor would I be anxious or discouraged by anything.

Brothers and sisters, those who believe with all their hearts that God’s promises are enough fully trust in Him. As the hymn “When Trouble Comes” (Hymn 543 in the New Hymnal) expresses, let us confess our faith that as time goes on, no matter what we face, we rely on the Lord alone.

Today's passage in Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” The Contemporary Bible translation says, “Fearing man will get you caught in a trap, but trusting in the Lord will keep you safe.”

With that in mind, I want to meditate on how those who trust in God act, focusing on two lessons.

First, those who trust in God do not fear man.

Look at the first part of Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare…” [“Fearing man will get you caught in a trap…” – Contemporary Bible]. We may have many types of fear. For example, we may fear the future. There are times when we fear and become anxious about an uncertain future that has not even come to pass. When this happens, not only do we become uneasy ourselves, but we may also cause distress to the people we love around us.

Another fear we might have is the fear of rejection from others. When I was single and wanted to date, I often feared rejection. I would think, "What if this woman doesn’t like me? What if she rejects me when I confess my feelings?" Such thoughts would amplify my fear of rejection. As a result, I tended to focus more on the imagined reactions of others rather than God's power, and this made my fear of others grow even stronger.

If such fears exist within us, they can lead to the creation of a false self—one that tries to meet the expectations and demands of others (Kim Jun-Soo). While there are many types of fear, in my view, the most common and pervasive fear is the fear of man. According to today’s passage in Proverbs 29:22-27, I believe we can fear four types of people.

(1) We may fear those who are angry or wrathful.
Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 29:22: "An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgressions" [(Modern Bible translation) "A person who is angry stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins"].
What do you think about anger in the context of marital relationships? As I read the book THE HEART OF REMARRIAGE by Gary and Greg Smalley, I wrote the following about two types of anger in a marriage:
"Righteous anger is necessary to bring healthy change in a marriage. However, unrighteous anger worsens the marriage because it leads both spouses to sin through their words and actions." What do you think about this statement?
When we think of “anger” in marriage, we usually think of "unrighteous anger," and not righteous anger. It seems that when we think of "anger," we tend to focus on its negative aspects. However, we must recognize that righteous anger is necessary for us, as it brings healthy change in a marriage.
But we must be very cautious of unrighteous anger because it doesn’t just cause us to sin against one another, but also against God. We know that in marriage, we should be slow to anger and cease from strife (15:18). But many times, we are unable to control our anger, and we easily get upset, causing conflict with our spouse (15:18, 21:9, 19).
Why is this? One reason is that angry people tend to say harsh words (15:1). If they continue speaking harshly, without stopping—like repeated drops of water falling (19:13)—and keep pouring out words in the midst of their anger, what will happen? (Park Yunseon)
What if either we or our spouse is foolish? Proverbs 17:12 says, "It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly." If either of us or our spouse is foolish, and we are angry in an irrational (unreasonable) way, what would happen to that marital argument?
Anger can make a spouse feel very fearful, and especially if that spouse is foolish, we might be afraid of their anger. Not only our spouse but also neighbors or colleagues who easily get angry can be frightening. However, the Bible tells us: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10), "I told you not to be afraid of them or be terrified" (Deuteronomy 1:29).
When the Israelites were discouraged and afraid of the Canaanite tribes after hearing the reports from the 10 spies, God told them, "Do not be afraid of them or be terrified." In addition to these two verses, the Bible frequently tells us not to fear. Christians who trust and depend on God obey His command not to fear and do not fear people who are angry. Let us not fear human anger, but rather fear God's holy anger.

(2) We may fear proud people.
Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 29:23: "A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor" [(Modern Bible translation) "A man’s pride will bring him low, but humility will earn him respect"].
How can we know if we are proud in God’s sight? While meditating on the book of Esther, I reflected on the character of Haman and identified three characteristics of a proud person:
(a) A proud person is never satisfied (Esther 5:13).
Haman, while seeing that Mordecai, a Jew, sat at the king’s gate, was not satisfied with "all of this." "All of this" refers to Haman's great glory, his many children, being exalted by King Xerxes above all other officials, and being the only one invited to the banquet with the king and Queen Esther (Esther 5:11-12).
(b) A proud person is easily deceived (Esther 6:6).
When King Xerxes wanted to honor someone who had saved his life—Mordecai (Esther 2:21)—Haman mistakenly thought the king was referring to him. He believed that the king would want to honor no one other than himself (Esther 6:6).
(c) A proud person enjoys being exalted (Esther 6:7-9).
Haman, thinking the king wanted to honor him, advised the king to clothe the honored person in royal garments, place him on the king's horse, and have him paraded through the city. Haman suggested this to the king, saying, "If the king desires to honor someone, he should dress him in royal robes, put him on the king’s horse, and let him be paraded through the streets of the city, and say, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor’" (Esther 6:7-9). Haman, expecting to be the one honored, suggested all these details, showing that he enjoyed being exalted and misunderstood that the king was referring to someone else.

We must be very cautious about the pride that can infiltrate our hearts. As we briefly reflect on Haman's pride — who was never satisfied, often deceived, and loved to be exalted (honored) — we must examine whether we ourselves might be prideful like Haman.

In Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph, who had a pure heart (verse 1), saw the prosperity of the wicked and envied the arrogant (verse 3). The prosperity of the wicked, as described here, means "they live their whole life without any pain, remaining healthy, and never experiencing the struggles or sicknesses that others do" (verses 4-5, Modern Bible Translation). Among these wicked people, it is said that "they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a garment" (verse 6, Modern Bible Translation), and they "speak arrogantly from on high" (verse 8).

Isn’t it frightening to see such proud and wicked people? However, those of us who trust in God have no need to fear the proud. Why? Let us look at today's passage from Proverbs 29:23: "A man's pride brings him low, but a humble spirit gains honor" (Modern Bible Translation: "A man who is proud will be humbled, and one who is humble will be respected"). The reason we do not need to fear the proud is that God will humble them (verse 23, see also 2 Samuel 22:28, Job 40:11). Our God is the one who humbles us when our hearts are proud. Just as God humbled the Israelites in the wilderness by feeding them with manna that even their ancestors did not know (Deuteronomy 8:16), God humbles us, living in a world like a wilderness, by feeding us with His Word. Therefore, we must humble ourselves before the Lord (James 4:10). We should humble ourselves like little children (Matthew 18:4). And as we humble ourselves, we should follow the example of Jesus, who humbled Himself to the point of dying on the cross (Philippians 2:8), and live a life of obedience to God’s Word. In doing so, the Lord will lift us up in His time (James 4:10). The Bible’s teaching is clear: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). The Lord, who lifts up the humble, gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5), and He will save the humble (Job 22:29, Psalm 149:4). The Bible teaches that if we are humble, we will receive honor (Proverbs 29:23). Humility is the guide to honor (Proverbs 15:33).

(3) We may fear thieves and their accomplices.

Let us look at today’s passage from Proverbs 29:24: "The partner of a thief hates his own soul; he receives a curse and will not testify" (Modern Bible Translation: "Anyone who conspires with a thief hates his soul. He will not testify even when asked to tell the truth in court"). Do you know who the most famous thief in the Bible is? It is Judas Iscariot. Six days before the Passover, when Jesus arrived in Bethany, where Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, was, the people there held a dinner in His honor (John 12:1-2, Modern Bible Translation). At that time, Mary took an expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet, wiping them with her hair (verse 3). Seeing this, Judas, who would later betray Jesus, questioned why the perfume wasn’t sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor (verses 4-5, Modern Bible Translation). The Bible tells us that Judas didn’t say this because he cared for the poor, but because "he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it" (verse 6). Judas appeared to care for the poor, but in reality, he was a thief. What would happen if such a thief teamed up with powerful nation leaders or false religious leaders?

Let us refer to Isaiah 1:23: "Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them" (Modern Bible Translation: "Your leaders are rebels, partners with thieves. They all love bribes and gifts, and they do not uphold the cause of the fatherless or the widow"). The Bible is saying that thieves like Judas, when aligned with rulers or leaders, will love bribes, seek gifts, and neglect the cases of orphans and widows.

In today’s passage from Proverbs 29:24, the Bible says: "The partner of a thief hates his own soul; he will not testify even when asked to tell the truth" (Proverbs 29:24). "Partner of a thief" refers to someone who plans theft with thieves and sits behind the scenes, orchestrating it (Park Yun-sun). A good example of this is found in 1 Kings 21, where King Ahab and Queen Jezebel took Naboth’s vineyard (Park Yun-sun). Queen Jezebel, noticing that her husband Ahab was troubled and not eating, asked him why. Upon learning that Naboth, an Israelite, refused to give his vineyard to the king, she told him, "You are the king of Israel, aren't you? Get up, eat, and be happy. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard" (1 Kings 21:7, Modern Bible Translation). She wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them, and sent them to the elders and nobles in Naboth's city (verse 8). The letters instructed them to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king and have him stoned to death (verses 9-10). Truly, she was a wicked woman full of deceit (2 Kings 9:22). The elders and nobles followed her instructions, and Naboth was dragged out of the city and stoned to death (verse 13). Eventually, Jezebel gave Ahab the vineyard he wanted (verse 15). She had Naboth killed and gave the vineyard to Ahab. She was the mastermind behind all of this, leading Ahab to commit evil before God (verse 25). She led him to worship idols and commit abominations, just like the Amorites whom God had driven out before the Israelites (verse 26).

Thus, we may certainly fear a thief who would kill to take what belongs to another, as well as those who conspire with such thieves behind the scenes. However, we who trust in God do not need to fear. Why? Because, as Isaiah 41:10 tells us, God is with us. He is our God, strengthening and helping us with His righteous hand. Therefore, we have no need to fear thieves or those who collaborate with them.

What we need to understand is that today’s passage from Proverbs 29:24 says: "The partner of a thief hates his own soul..." In 1 Kings 21:20 and 25, the prophet Elijah rebuked King Ahab, saying, "You have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord." Now, let me ask you, would someone who loves his own soul sell himself out to partner with a thief and do evil in the eyes of God? Of course not. Such actions are only committed by those who hate their own souls.

Those who hate their souls, sell themselves, and ally with thieves—according to the second part of Proverbs 29:24—“even if they hear a curse, they do not testify” [(Modern Bible Translation) “Even though they hear the command to tell the truth, they do not say anything in court”]. Why is this? Why do those who ally with thieves remain silent in court even when told to speak the truth? The reason is that those who hate their souls and conspire with thieves are wicked and deceitful. Wicked and deceitful people never speak the truth. Instead, they lie more easily than they eat.

Dear friends, those of us who trust in God should not fear thieves or their accomplices. Why? Because the God we trust in is the One who loves our souls. He, who loves our souls, neither slumbers nor sleeps, and He protects us (Psalm 121:4-5). God keeps us safe from all distress and will protect our souls from now until forever (verses 7-8).

(4) We may fear the unjust.

Let us look at the first part of Proverbs 29:27: “The unjust is hated by the righteous…” [(Modern Bible Translation) “The righteous hate the dishonest…”]. When we doubt God, we begin to question Him. And as we doubt God, we end up disbelieving in Him. This disbelief leads us to disobey God and, ultimately, to act unjustly.

Here, "unjust" refers to "ugliness, greed, malice, envy, murder, strife, fraud, wickedness, gossip, slander, hatred of God, disgrace, pride, boasting, plotting evil, rebellion against parents, foolishness, betrayal, callousness, and cruelty" (Romans 1:29-31). When we commit such injustices, God will be angry and discipline us.

In Numbers 22, we find the character of Balaam, a diviner (verse 7; also Joshua 13:22), the son of Beor (Numbers 22:5). The Bible says that the people of Israel followed Balaam’s counsel (31:16), strayed from the right path, and were led astray (2 Peter 2:15), sinning against God. While the Israelites were staying in Shittim, they not only engaged in immorality with the Moabite women (Numbers 25:1), but also when the women sacrificed to their gods, the Israelites bowed down to these women’s gods (verse 2). As a result, God became angry with Israel (verse 3), and the leaders of the people were executed before the Lord (verse 4), and 24,000 Israelites died from a plague (verse 9).

Why did the people of Israel reach such a dire situation? The cause was Balaam, who “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15). Those who love the wages of unrighteousness not only harm themselves, but also lead others to sin, and together they sin against God. To such people, God will show His wrath and bring punishment.

In the first part of Proverbs 29:27, it says, “The unjust is hated by the righteous.” Why does the unjust person receive hatred from the righteous? The reason is that the unjust person loves injustice, and those who love injustice do not believe in the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:12). Therefore, the righteous, who believe in the truth and love justice, not only hate the unjust but also hate all the injustices of the unjust person. The Bible says that there is no injustice in the righteous God (Romans 9:14). The God who dwells among us is righteous and does not act unjustly (Zephaniah 3:5). Additionally, the Bible says that God, who is the Truth, reveals His wrath from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). Therefore, we need not fear the unjust. Rather, we should hate the unjust and all their wickedness.

Those of us who trust in God should not fear the angry (those who are wrathful), the arrogant, those who conspire with thieves, or the unjust. If we fear such people, we will fall into a trap, as Proverbs 29:25 warns us: “The fear of man brings a snare…” To fear such people is to distrust the great and awesome God who is among us (Deuteronomy 7:21). If we do not trust in God, the fear of men will trap us. Therefore, we must trust in God completely and not fear people.

Let’s look at Matthew 10:28: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Finally, second, those who trust in God will be safe.

Look at the second part of Proverbs 29:25 in today's passage: “… the one who trusts in the Lord will be safe” [(Modern Bible) “… those who trust in the Lord will be secure”]. What should we, as Christians, be very careful about? The Apostle Paul said to the believers in the church of Philippi in Philippians 3:1: “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you” (Modern Bible). From these words, we can understand that Paul wrote this letter with the desire for the Philippian believers to be safe. In the content of this letter, Paul warns three times in Philippians 3:2, saying “Beware,” that is, “Be cautious” (be careful): “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation.” Here, when Paul says “beware of dogs,” he is referring to the Judaizers. The reason is that the Judaizers insisted that, in order to be justified, the Gentiles must adhere to the Old Testament rites (especially circumcision).

In Galatians, Paul called these Judaizers and their false gospel heretics, even going so far as to curse them. The problem, however, was that these Judaizers were recognized as true believers by most of the people in the church. For example, this happened in the church of Galatia. But the reality was that they corrupted the clarity of the gospel, seriously defiled it, and caused confusion among the Gentile believers. If we briefly summarize the cause of this confusion, Paul's logic is that someone (1) first believes in Christ, (2) then is justified before God, and (3) immediately prepares to keep God's law. In contrast, the Judaizers taught that someone (1) believes in Christ, (2) must do their best to keep the law, and (3) only then is justified (Machen). This difference may seem subtle, but in reality, it is a huge difference. The difference is that Paul teaches salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, while the Judaizers teach that salvation is attained through human effort and keeping the law.

The true gospel that Paul preached focused on what Jesus Christ did on the cross (grace), while the false gospel of the Judaizers focused on the works of sinners (merit). In short, Paul taught salvation by God's grace, while the Judaizers taught salvation through human works. The reason Paul referred to the Judaizers, who falsely taught salvation through human effort, as “dogs” is because “they seek after gain and make themselves masters, wandering about” (3:19). Therefore, Paul warned the Philippian believers to be cautious of these false teachers, the Judaizers, who preached this false gospel (teaching). We should also be cautious of false pastors or teachers who preach a false gospel. We should beware of any teaching that says salvation comes not by faith in Jesus Christ alone, but by adding human effort or good works. We must be cautious of any teaching that focuses on human merit rather than on the merit of Christ's cross.

Today's passage from Proverbs 29:25 states, “The one who trusts in the Lord will be safe.” Who are the ones who trust in God? We can think of three main characteristics:

(1) The one who trusts in God is humble.
Look at Proverbs 29:23: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” [(Modern Bible) “A man’s pride will be humbled, but the humble will be honored”]. The proud do not trust in God; they trust in themselves. God will humble such proud people. However, the humble trust in God. In other words, the one who trusts in God is humble. And the humble who trust in God plead with Him. They seek God's help and salvation. And even in times of danger, they trust in the Lord as their refuge and flee to Him (Psalm 31:1).

(2) The one who trusts in God believes that the rightful judgment of people is in God's hands.
Look at Proverbs 29:26: “Many seek the ruler’s favor, but the decision of man is from the Lord” [(Modern Bible) “Many seek to win the favor of the ruler, but the rightful judgment of people is from the Lord”]. When we are in trouble, especially when we face unjust situations, we may be tempted to rely on those who have more power or authority, thinking that we can gain help from them. We may try to win their favor by flattering them or even offering bribes. These actions show that we are relying more on the power and authority of humans than on God. However, today's passage, Proverbs 29:25-26, tells us that those who trust in God will be safe and that they believe the rightful judgment of people is in God's hands. In other words, those who trust in God do not seek to win the favor of rulers because they believe that the decisions concerning people come from God, not from rulers.

(3) The one who trusts in God acts rightly.
Look at Proverbs 29:27 in today’s passage: “The unjust man is abominable to the righteous, and the one who acts rightly is abominable to the wicked” [(Modern Translation) “The righteous person hates the unrighteous, and the wicked person hates the honest”]. The one who trusts in people more than in God fears people more than God (verse 25). Therefore, such a person seeks favor from people (governors) rather than from God (verse 26). In other words, the one who fears people and trusts in people seeks to gain their favor. Such a person does not act rightly, but rather acts unjustly. Therefore, they are hated by the righteous (verse 27). However, the one who trusts in God (verse 25) does not fear people, and therefore, they do not seek to gain their favor (verse 26), and they do not act unjustly but act rightly (verse 27). They walk and act truly rightly, practicing justice among their neighbors (Jeremiah 7:5). They hate all false actions (Psalm 119:128) and do not delight in foolish things (Proverbs 15:21).

I would like to conclude with a reflection on the Word. Psalm 146:3 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” We should not trust in people who have no power to help us. We should not trust in those who are famous in the eyes of people. Dr. Park Yun-Seon spoke about trusting in people in this way: “Human trust is an evil thought that blocks the way to trust in God. Therefore, the psalmist, in order to lead others to the act of trusting in God, first prohibits the sin of trusting in men” (Park Yun-Seon). Trusting in those who have no power to help us prevents us from trusting in God, who is our true Helper. Therefore, we must first stop trusting in humans who have no power to help us. We must stop depending on people. We should only trust in God. The one who trusts in God will be safe (Proverbs 29:25). The one who trusts in God does not fear people. When we trust in God, we do not fear the angry or the wrathful. Also, the one who trusts in God does not fear the proud, thieves, or the accomplices who associate with thieves. And the one who trusts in God does not fear the wicked. The one who trusts in God will be safe. The one who trusts in God is humble. Furthermore, the one who trusts in God believes that the rightful judgment of people is made by God. And the one who trusts in God acts rightly. Therefore, God will protect and guard the one who trusts in Him, and they will be safe.